This afternoon I took a look at the list of countries without actions registered for October 24. One name caught my eye: Bouvet Island. My last name is oftern mispronounced to sound like that, so I accepted the challenge of looking into sourcing an action there.

Well, wouldn’t you know, Bouvet Island is uninhabited by people. The recent film "Alien vs. Predator" took place there. Temparatures hover around freezing (in the Antarctic Ocean).

So, in a certain sense, I’m throwing in the towel on the Bouvet Islands. I’m not going to try and identify a ship to sail out there and plant a 350 flag on October 24. And in another sense, it’s a good reminder that people are the key ingredient for a great action. I know that’s kind of obvious, but it struck me differently today. Even an iconic island, with a catchy name, won’t be a better location for an event than a town hall or city park or beach full of people in community.

As we continue in the big rush toward October, we’ll keep reaching out to fill in the map, but we’ll also reach more deeply and more broadly within our communities!